Arctic Déjà vu: Giga Blasts to Affect 250 Million in 40 States

EXTREME CLIMATIC & WEATHER EVENTS
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Potentially deadly Arctic air to affect 250 million in U.S. —FIRE-EARTH

Massive pulses of brutally cold Arctic air are sinking southward from Canada into the central and eastern U.S., affecting the western High Plains to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast U.S. for the next few days, said NWS. “Widespread subzero overnight lows are forecast for the Dakotas, Upper Midwest, Great Lakes, and interior New England.”

Temperatures will be as much as 30 degrees (F) below average for parts of the Plains, Mississippi Valley, and Ohio Valley…

• Hard Freeze Warnings, Freeze Warnings and multiples of other Weather Hazard Warnings, Watches and Advisories are in effect throughout the eastern two-thirds of the country, extending into the deep South and spanning along almost the entire Gulf Coast.

• Up to 250 million people in 40 states could be affected by the Arctic blasts, according to FIRE-EARTH Models.

Anything that could freeze up…

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Polar Vortex Helps Shatter North America Temperature Records

275 U.S. Daily Lowest Min Temperature Records broken, 69 others tied January 1 – 6, 2014, according to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC).

Partial Map of the U.S. showing all but two of the 344 Daily Lowest Min Temperature Records broken or tied between 1 and 6 January, 2014. Source: NCDC.

Affected Areas

Daily temperature records were shattered across the US, including in the states of Alabama (tied), Arkansas, California (tied), Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,  Michigan,  Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon (tied), Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

How Cold?

Temperatures were as much as 35 degrees  (19.4ºC) below normal in a vast region extending from the Midwest to the Southeast, said the National Weather Service (NWS).

On January 5, FIRE-EARTH Models showed that the Arctic storm would affect about 250 million people in 40 states.

Major U.S. cities reported frigid conditions on Monday and early Tuesday. The lowest temperatures recorded were

• Boston: 15ºF (-9º C)
• Chicago:  2ºF (-17ºC)
• Cleveland: –11ºF (-24ºC), shattering a 130-year-old record
• Detroit:  0ºF (-18ºC)
• New York (Central Park): 4ºF (-16ºC)
• Pittsburgh 5ºF (-15ºC)
• Washington 19 (minus 7 C)

Even Hell, Michigan, froze over with temperatures plunging to as low as 1ºF (-17ºC).

Those  temperatures felt a lot colder due to wind chill factor.

[Temperatures inside household freezers are typically between 0ºF and 14ºF (−18ºC and −10ºC). Editor]

Low Temperature Map of the U.S. Source: NWS

National High and Low Temperature (for the contiguous United States) Issued 7pm EST Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Low Temperature

• -35 degrees (-37ºC) at Embarrass, MN
• -35 degrees at Brimson, MN

High Temperature

• 75 degrees (24ºC) at San Pasqual Valley, CA

Source: NWS Weather Prediction Center, College Park, MD

National temperature spread: 110 degrees (61ºC)

Flight Cancellations and Delays

In Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport about 60 percent of the flights were canceled on Tuesday as fuel supplies froze, leaving crews unable to fill aircraft tanks.

Total flight cancellations on Saturday:  1,771 (from or into the U.S., 1,507)
Total flight cancellations on Sunday: 3,905  (US: 3,517)
Total flight cancellations on Monday: 4,459 (US: 4,018)
Total cancellations on Tuesday: 3,274 (US: 2,688)
Total Flight delays for the period, as of posting:  57,100 (US: 32,290)
More than 800 (US: 513)  flight cancellations and 1,300 (US: 110) delays were reported on Wednesday, as of posting (06:30UTC).
(Source: FlightAware.com)

Related Links and Chronology

• More Extreme Weather Events to Hit North America Posted by feww on January 7, 2014
• 2014: Year Five of Human-Enhanced Natural Disasters  January 1, 2014
• Major Winter Storm to Batter Midwest, Northeast January 2, 2014
• States of Emergency Declared in New York, New Jersey January 3, 2014
• Climate and Weather Extremes Plaguing the World January 4, 2014
• Deadly Cold Plagues U.S. January 5, 2014
• UPDATED: Deadly Cold Plagues U.S. January 5, 2014
• Giga Arctic Blast Affecting 250 Million in 40 States January 5, 2014
• States of Emergency Declared in NW Indiana, Tennessee January 6, 2014

States of Emergency Declared in NW Indiana, Tennessee

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Northwest Indiana and Tennessee declare states of emergency due to extreme conditions

Indiana Gov. Pence has ordered all state government offices to remain closed Monday, as more snow is forecast for the region.

“I am limiting the number of employees who must report to work on Monday to help keep people off the roads and out of the extreme cold, even while we make sure that Hoosiers have access to necessary government services,” said Pence.

Tennessee

In Tennessee, The Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) declared a state of emergency as the frigid cold front moved through the region.

“Temperatures are also beginning to fall dramatically in the region. At Nashville International Airport, temperatures dropped 8 degrees from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. and even further after that. In Clarksville, temperatures sunk from 51 degrees to 29 in two hours time,” said a report.

The Polar Vortex Causing Life-Threatening Wind Chill

“The polar vortex, a mid-upper level cyclonic feature normally present over northern Canada, will be displaced unusually far to the south over the northern Great Lakes and southern Ontario. Owing to the deep layer of the cold air mass, this will provide for an incredibly strong surge of bitterly cold Arctic Air along with gusty winds. The Upper Midwest will be affected first by Saturday night, and the brutal conditions will continue pushing southeastward to the Ohio Valley and Mid-South by Monday, and to the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic by Tuesday. Particularly noteworthy will be the extreme wind chills and nearly unheard-of daytime highs that are forecast. A huge expanse of wind chill warnings are in effect from Montana all the way to the central Appalachians, with wind chills on the order of -20 to -50 degrees expected!” NWS said.

IR Satellite Image, GOES N America, Jan. 6, 2014 @ 01:15UTC. Colder objects are brighter and warmer objects are darker. Lower layers of clouds, generally warmer and lower in altitude, are colored gray. Colder and generally higher clouds tops are highlighted in colors. Source: SSD/ NOAA GOES satellites

Monday’s lows are forecast to plunge below -15 degrees (-26ºC) with wind chills as low as  -50 (-46ºC), with temperatures  across the Fox Valley falling as low as -60 (-51ºC).

“Ahead of the Arctic blast, a developing surface low along the cold front will result in widespread snow from Missouri to the Ohio Valley and into the Great Lakes. Areas that have persistent snow bands may receive on the order of 8 to 14 inches of snow, with locally higher amounts,” said NWS.

Record-breaking cold is forecast for  much of Eastern US: NWS

U.S. Weather Hazards Map (Hazmap)  for Monday, January 6, 2014. Issued at 14:54UTC. Source: NWS. Map Enhanced by FIRE-EARTH. UPDATE

Warnings, Watches and Advisories

Dozens of Warnings, Watches and Advisories are currently in effect across the eastern two-thirds of the country, with the Wind Chill Warning, and Hard Freeze Warning, which plague the Gulf Coast states, impacting vast areas.

Impact

FIRE-EARTH Models show impacts of the Arctic blast are affecting about 250 million people across 40 states.

Related Links

• Giga Arctic Blast Affecting 250 Million in 40 States January 5, 2014

• UPDATED: Deadly Cold Plagues U.S. January 5, 2014
• Deadly Cold Plagues U.S. January 5, 2014
• States of Emergency Declared in New York, New Jersey January 3, 2014
• Major Winter Storm to Batter Midwest, Northeast January 2, 2014

Giga Arctic Blast Affecting 250 Million in 40 States

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Deadly Arctic storm affecting 250 million people in 40 states —FIRE-EARTH

Life-threatening wind chill is plunging temperatures to as low as minus 60 degrees (-51ºC). The coldest temperatures in 20 years are spreading into the northern and central U.S. on Sunday following an arctic cold front.

Combined with gusty winds, these temperatures will result in life-threatening wind chill values as low as 60 degrees below zero. Also, heavy snow will develop from the eastern Plains to the Great Lakes today, with up to a foot of accumulation possible. —NWS

A massive blast of Arctic Air [aka “Polar Vortex”] is expected to set new lowest temperature records from the Northern/ Central High Plains to the Upper Mississippi Valley.

• Hard Freeze Warnings, Freeze Warnings and multiples of other Weather Hazard Warnings, Watches and Advisories are in effect throughout the eastern two-thirds of the country, extending into the deep South and spanning along almost the entire Gulf Coast.

• The giga winter storm has killed at least 2 dozen people so far.
• Up to 250 million people in 40 states are affected by the Arctic blast, according to FIRE-EARTH Models.

U.S. Weather Hazards Map (Hazmap)  for Sunday, January 5, 2014. Issued at 14:54UTC. Source: NWS. Map Enhanced by FIRE-EARTH. UPDATE

Related Links

• UPDATED: Deadly Cold Plagues U.S. January 5, 2014
• Deadly Cold Plagues U.S. January 5, 2014
• States of Emergency Declared in New York, New Jersey January 3, 2014
• Major Winter Storm to Batter Midwest, Northeast January 2, 2014

UPDATED: Deadly Cold Plagues U.S.

EXTREME CLIMATIC & WEATHER EVENTS
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DEADLY COLD REACHES THE HEARTS AND MINDS OTHER WARNING CALLS FAIL TO REACH – PROBABLY!

UPDATED @ 10:00UTC.

Parts of northeastern U.S. and Canada buried under 60+ cm (2 feet) of snow as deadly wind chill continues to plunge temperatures.

A massive blast of Arctic Air [aka “Polar Vortex”] is expected to plunge temperatures by up to 60 degrees (F) below average from the Northern/ Central High Plains to the Upper Mississippi Valley.

• Hard Freeze Warnings, Freeze Warnings and multiples of other Weather Hazard Warnings, Watches and Advisories are in effect throughout the eastern two-thirds of the country, extending into the deep South and spanning along almost the entire Gulf Coast.

“It may feel as cold as negative 50 to negative 60 on Sunday night over sections of the north-central states,” said a meteorologist  with NWS.

“In those conditions, frost bite sets in on exposed skin within five minutes. A person not properly dressed could die easily in those conditions.”

The mega winter storm is said to be the worst in two decades, caused by a “polar vortex.”

“It’s just a large area of very cold air that comes down, forms over the North Pole or polar regions; [it] usually stays in Canada, but this time it’s going to come all the way into the eastern United States,” said a meteorologist  with NWS.

• Heavy snow has paralyzed large parts of the northeast and Canada, claiming up to two dozen lives, grounding at least 6,000  flights and delaying twice as many since Thursday, and shutting down transport systems.

Schools and government offices have been forced  to close throughout the states of New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut.

The governors of New York and New Jersey have declared states of emergency on Thursday and have since advised residents to stay at home.

• The mayor of Bridgeport also  declared a state of emergency.
• Boston Declared a Snow Emergency.

U.S. Weather Hazards Map

U.S. Weather Hazards Map (Hazmap)  for Sunday, January 5, 2014. Source: NWS. Map Enhanced by FIRE-EARTH. UPDATE

“The last really big Arctic outbreak was 1994,” said a forecaster with NWS. “Outbreaks like this don’t occur every day.”

Record-breaking cold expected over much of Eastern U.S. (NWS)

“The coldest weather in years will be making its presence known from the Upper Mid-West to the Mid-Atlantic region,” said the US National Weather Service (NWS), adding that Ohio, South Dakota and Illinois would be among the worst-hit areas.

Incredibly Cold and Possibly Record Breaking Temperatures, Heavy Snow and Ice Are Expected for the Eastern Two-Thirds of the Country Through Next Week.

Potentially record breaking cold temperatures will continue dropping through the northern-tier states today. As the airmass moves into the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley, moderate to heavy snow will be possible on Sunday. With cold air already entrenched over much of the eastern U.S., freezing rain is possible from the Deep South, along the Appalachians into New England for the next couple of days.

Wind chill is forecast to plunge the effective temperatures to as low as -51ºC (-60 degrees) in the Midwest.

U.S. Daily Lowest Min Temperature Records set January 1 – 3, 2014

• 65  records Broken, 14  tied
  

On Friday, temperature plunged to -45ºC  (-49.0 degrees) in Van Buren, Maine, breaking a previous record of -35.6ºC ( -32.1 degrees) set in 1999,  said NCDC.

National High and Low Temperature (for the contiguous United States)

High Temperature for Thursday, January 4, 2014

• 76 degrees (24.4ºC) at Miami, FL
• 76 degrees at Kingsville, TX
• 76 degrees at Alice, TX

Low Temperature for Thursday, January 4, 2014

• -36 degrees (-37.8ºC) at Big Black River, ME

Issued 7 pm EST Thursday, January 4, 2014 – NWS Weather Prediction Center, College Park, MD

Temperature spread:  112 degrees  [The spread remains inconsistent.  Editor]

Related Links

• Deadly Cold Plagues U.S. January 5, 2014
• States of Emergency Declared in New York, New Jersey January 3, 2014
• Major Winter Storm to Batter Midwest, Northeast January 2, 2014

Deadly Cold Plagues U.S.

EXTREME CLIMATIC & WEATHER EVENTS
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DEADLY COLD REACHING PARTS OTHER WARNING CALLS FAIL TO REACH – PROBABLY!

Parts of northeastern U.S. and Canada buried under 60+ cm (2 feet) of snow as deadly wind chill continues to plunge temperatures

Heavy snow has paralyzed large parts of the northeast and Canada, claiming up to two dozen lives, grounding at least 6,000  flights and delaying twice as many since Thursday, and shutting down transport systems.

Schools and government offices have been forced  to close throughout the states of New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut.

The governors of New York and New Jersey have declared states of emergency on Thursday and have since advised residents to stay at home.

• The mayor of Bridgeport also  declared a state of emergency.
• Boston Declared a Snow Emergency.

U.S. Weather Hazards Map

U.S. Weather Hazards Map (Hazmap)  for Sunday, January 5, 2014. Source: NWS. Map Enhanced by FIRE-EARTH. UPDATE

“The last really big Arctic outbreak was 1994,” said a forecaster with NWS. “Outbreaks like this don’t occur every day.”

Record-breaking cold expected over much of Eastern U.S. (NWS)

“The coldest weather in years will be making its presence known from the Upper Mid-West to the Mid-Atlantic region,” said the US National Weather Service (NWS), adding that Ohio, South Dakota and Illinois would be among the worst-hit areas.

Incredibly Cold and Possibly Record Breaking Temperatures, Heavy Snow and Ice Are Expected for the Eastern Two-Thirds of the Country Through Next Week.

Potentially record breaking cold temperatures will continue dropping through the northern-tier states today. As the airmass moves into the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley, moderate to heavy snow will be possible on Sunday. With cold air already entrenched over much of the eastern U.S., freezing rain is possible from the Deep South, along the Appalachians into New England for the next couple of days.

Wind chill is forecast to plunge the effective temperatures to as low as -50ºC (-59 degrees) in the Midwest.

U.S. Daily Lowest Min Temperature Records set January 1 – 3, 2014

• 65  records Broken, 14  tied
  

On Friday, temperature plunged to -45ºC  (-49.0 degrees) in Van Buren, Maine, breaking a previous record of -35.6ºC ( -32.1 degrees) set in 1999,  said NCDC.

National High and Low Temperature (for the contiguous United States)

High Temperature for Thursday, January 4, 2014

• 76 degrees (24.4ºC) at Miami, FL
• 76 degrees at Kingsville, TX
• 76 degrees at Alice, TX

Low Temperature for Thursday, January 4, 2014

• -36 degrees (-37.8ºC) at Big Black River, ME

Issued 7 pm EST Thursday, January 4, 2014 – NWS Weather Prediction Center, College Park, MD

Temperature spread:  112 degrees  [The spread remains inconsistent.  Editor]

Related Links

• States of Emergency Declared in New York, New Jersey January 3, 2014
• Major Winter Storm to Batter Midwest, Northeast January 2, 2014